Kombucha

[metqa]

Originally Posted by pepperette

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]Tea bag tea!
How about instant???[/COLOR]




.

NOoooooo! See, the tea isn't for you. It's for the scoby. You need to feed it right, so it can make the yummy stuff you love to drink. No instant, no fancy organic un processed fancy sugar stuff. Just clean water, loose tea or tea bags, and sugar.

You can even get tea from the dollar store. It doesn't have to be gourmet. just get a box of family sized tea bags and plop two of 'em in there. That's equal to six bags. I use black and green, and I presteep it for 30 seconds to remove the caffiene, but when I started I used regular tea bags to make sure the scoby was gonna grow big and healthy and strong. Now I have so many big healthy strong scobys, I can experiment a little by taking out the caffeine, maybe another time in the future, I'll do white tea. or Roiibos tea, that has no caffeine I think.

[JoSkids]

So, I have not tried plain kombucha - I REALLY like the flavored ones. When do you add the fruit flavoring - and is it real fruit or fruit juices?

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="Indigo"]Oh no! My son (16) discovered my kombucha and he likes it! Do you know what that means $!$!$!$! Looks like after my trip, I am seriously going to have to think about brewing my own.[/COLOR]

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Ok, here's another question (or 2 or 3) for ya. So your scoby babies grow into "monsters" If you are not giving them away what are you doing with them so that they don't take over your house and home?

If you are to share them, do you cut off a piece and share that or do you use a "whole" baby.

I read the posts about brewing from the leftovers of a kombucha bottle, but that doesn't produce a scoby does it? You definitely have to "adopt" one from somewhere, correct?[/COLOR]

[metqa]

Originally Posted by JoSkids

[COLOR="Indigo"]Oh no! My son (16) discovered my kombucha and he likes it! Do you know what that means $!$!$!$! Looks like after my trip, I am seriously going to have to think about brewing my own.[/COLOR]

You're in Trouble now!

A scoby doesn't have to grow for the kombucha to ferment, but a scoby is a good indicator that things are moving along and your work team is strong. It's kinda like the house for the fungus and bacteria. the cellulose pad is I guess like coral and the bacteria live inside?

Anyway, I have a huge 2.5 gallon brewer that is starting to be taken over for sure. It's been half a year in the making but each pad it grows seems to be thicker than the last.

If I shared a scoby, I'd just scoop out a whole flat pad and give it away. though you could cut it apart, and often have to tear one pad from another as they have grown together. It's prettier to receive a perfectly round and smooth creature rather than bits, but y'know the bits would work just as well, and honestly, just 2 cups of strong starter tea would produce a new scoby if added to fresh sweet tea.

I have three jars, one that's 12 inches across, one thats about 6 inches across and my mini scoby factory in a commercial tea jar. I posted a funny picture of it before with three scoby inside!

So the scoby will grow to whatever diameter the container is. Hold on, Let me take a new picture of my Big Brewer . . . It's definitely time to take some out, but I want to give them away not just toss them. sigh. I think of them like pets.
ETA: I just added fresh tea last week and look at how big it grew on top already! My brew is quite potent, I suppose!

[metqa]

Hey, Anyone ever make their kombucha with straight grape juice?

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by metqa

Hey, Anyone ever make their kombucha with straight grape juice?

OOOOhhh.. No I haven't but it sounds good....HMMM... I have plenty of babies at home to experiment with when I get back, that is unless you try it before me

[metqa]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

OOOOhhh.. No I haven't but it sounds good....HMMM... I have plenty of babies at home to experiment with when I get back, that is unless you try it before me

Well, I'd have to go get some real grape juice. all I have is the reduced sugar Old Orchard stuff and I don't think the scoby will care for splenda all that much!

Ha, I might do that, and let BF be my guinea pig!

ETA: I just called him and he said he'd try it if I make it! This is gonna be fun. He suggested Apple Juice. You wanna try that Laurie?

[JoSkids]

Do you think the kerns nectars would work?

[JoSkids]

"It's definitely time to take some out, but I want to give them away not just toss them. sigh. I think of them like pets."

[COLOR="Green"]This would be me.. They might even have names [/COLOR]

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by metqa

Well, I'd have to go get some real grape juice. all I have is the reduced sugar Old Orchard stuff and I don't think the scoby will care for splenda all that much!

Ha, I might do that, and let BF be my guinea pig!

ETA: I just called him and he said he'd try it if I make it! This is gonna be fun. He suggested Apple Juice. You wanna try that Laurie?

I'll try the apple juice when I get home! We can compare...

I found GT's - withdrawal over!!!!

I have a nice boocha buzzzzz..... I treated myself to assorted flavors, the Divine Grape is totally AWESOME!!!!!!!!

I'm so very happy!!!!

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by JoSkids

"It's definitely time to take some out, but I want to give them away not just toss them. sigh. I think of them like pets."

[COLOR="Green"]This would be me.. They might even have names [/COLOR]

I too think of them as pets... just like my beloved kefir grains... However, I have had to feed them to my compost pile - they were starting to take over my cabinet... They have their own cabinets over the stove - along with my continuous brewer. I cleaned my continuous brewer a couple weeks ago and I was SCARED by the pet I grew in there... (my brewer is opaque so you can't see it until you open and venture inside... LOL

[metqa]

Originally Posted by JoSkids

Do you think the kerns nectars would work?

Okay? So what is Kerns Nectars

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

I too think of them as pets... just like my beloved kefir grains... However, I have had to feed them to my compost pile - they were starting to take over my cabinet... They have their own cabinets over the stove - along with my continuous brewer. I cleaned my continuous brewer a couple weeks ago and I was SCARED by the pet I grew in there... (my brewer is opaque so you can't see it until you open and venture inside... LOL

See, i have a clear one and they keep staring at me!! So Scary!!!

I read that people make drum skins out of them! and Shoe leather! maybe I'll make some shoes!!!

[pepperette]

I read that people make drum skins out of them! and Shoe leather! maybe I'll make some shoes!!!

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]I take a 9 wide with firm arch supports, please.[/COLOR]




.

[JoSkids]

"I cleaned my continuous brewer a couple weeks ago and I was SCARED by the pet I grew in there..."

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Did it growl at you? [/COLOR]

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Never heard of Kern's Nectars, Metqa?!

http://http://www.kerns.com/products_nectars.html
They are really good juices that taste very true to the fruit that they are made from and probably totally unhealthy for you - oh yeah, lookie there HFCS... Kern's Beverages - Nutritional Information How do scoby like HFCS?

I guess just puree-ing (sp?) some fruit would be healthier, cheaper and just as good - I personally like strawberry & those are available year round in the frozen foods section.
[/COLOR]

[metqa]

i'm afraid of what my scoby might grow into if it had HFCS!!!

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="YellowGreen"]I almost bought a sun tea jar at Walmart today - it was glass - a lot of times they are plastic. I understand scoby are not particularly fond of plastic, but I am going on vacation next week so nothing is going to happen before then. I'd hate to think what would happen if I left dh to babysit.

Anyway the sun tea jars weren't huge - maybe 2qt - 1gal, I'm really bad with volume @$6. Maybe by the time I come back, they will be on sale already.[/COLOR]

[JoSkids]

Originally Posted by metqa

i'm afraid of what my scoby might grow into if it had HFCS!!!

[COLOR="Teal"]Something like kids on HFCS, but not as bad[/COLOR]

[metqa]

I think food grade plastic is okay. I've seen companies selling containers that look like the thick walled white plastic buckets that tomatoes and pickles come in for restaurants. That kind of plastic or something thick and not easily broken down might be fine. Even my glass jar has a food grade plastic spigot. It's metal that's the most dangerous since it's so reactive. I also use a large pickle jar ( no spigot)

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]see, I need some more education before I can become a good scoby mommy [/COLOR]

[sbarr]

I'm fascinated from reading this - for some reason, I didn't read this thread for a long time, not sure why. But, after going through all 5 pages, I'm fascinated. Are there any mentors out there?

[metqa]

I think Laurie counts, but she's out of town. Hey Laurie? you still poppin' in?

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I nominate metqa as a good scoby mommy (or daddy - sorry not real sure which) & mentor. metqa has offered loads of information so far. I am sure that if Laurie wasn't out of town, from what I understand, she'd be helping us along as well.[/COLOR]

[LaurieRobo]

I'm popping in... SBARR ask away?

[metqa]

Originally Posted by JoSkids

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I nominate metqa as a good scoby mommy (or daddy - sorry not real sure which) & mentor. metqa has offered loads of information so far. I am sure that if Laurie wasn't out of town, from what I understand, she'd be helping us along as well.[/COLOR]

Aww, Thanks.



(Mommy, BTW)

[JoSkids]

[COLOR="Teal"]I have successfully dissuaded my daughter (13) from ever wanting to taste my kombucha again First, I showed her pictures of metqa's scoby - no offense, but she was grossed out. Wait til we have scobies of our own.

Then when I went to open up another bottle of synergy, she asked if she could taste it and then she noticed that there was stuff in the bottle. I told her that it was little organisms - living organisms. She was like eewww . Then she says, "you know they have feelings"

I tried to gross my son out as well and showed him the "backwash" - he's a boy, it didn't phase him one bit

Cheers & Bottoms up & here's to not having to fight off another child from my kombucha.[/COLOR]

[LaurieRobo]

Jo -

That is too funny - I only have boys and they are grossed out. They are grossed out by anything that is remotely good for them except broccoli!

Kefir, raw milk, plain yogurt, boocha - all homemade they are grossed out, my teens call them all my science experiments!

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by metqa

Aww, Thanks.



(Mommy, BTW)

LOL - you are a better Mommy than me - after all I feed mine to the compost pile -

I should check if they vanish, we may have the healthiest coyotes running around!

[metqa]

Originally Posted by JoSkids

[COLOR="Teal"]I have successfully dissuaded my daughter (13) from ever wanting to taste my kombucha again First, I showed her pictures of metqa's scoby - no offense, but she was grossed out. Wait til we have scobies of our own.

Then when I went to open up another bottle of synergy, she asked if she could taste it and then she noticed that there was stuff in the bottle. I told her that it was little organisms - living organisms. She was like eewww . Then she says, "you know they have feelings"

I tried to gross my son out as well and showed him the "backwash" - he's a boy, it didn't phase him one bit

Cheers & Bottoms up & here's to not having to fight off another child from my kombucha.[/COLOR]

Feelings! Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa! Feelings! That's too bad, for them! Now you'll have all the Kombucha to yourself.

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

LOL - you are a better Mommy than me - after all I feed mine to the compost pile -

I should check if they vanish, we may have the healthiest coyotes running around!

Hmmm, I'm about to find out if worms like scobys cause that jar won't hold many more, as you can see, I might feed some to my worm bin and see if they can eat it. Maybe not since they can only eat things that can rot, and I've never seen a rotten scoby? . Someone in the BYC forum on line fed them to his/her chickens, and they loved it. Later when he gave them some boocha on ice ( hot summer day) it was written that they behaved like it was an ice beer party. Sounds like some happy chickens.
I pulled a scoby skin off a bottle once and let it dry. it was like a thin sheet of leather, for real. I couldnt tear it with my fingers at all.

I might just start pulling scoby skins off the top of the brew and drying them for uses. Maybe I COULD learn to make shoes out of them and learn to be self sufficient! I used to have a friend who made drums, I'll bet he'd loved to use one to make a skin.

Hey folks I need some crazy Ideas to make stuff with a leather dry scoby. I don't care how silly or crazy it may seem, so long as its plausibly useful.

Sun catcher? That circle thing with little cymbals you bang for music class cause you can't hold a note? Baby Shoes? Pirate eye patch? Drum skin? Rattle? . . . Skin Graft?